Oprah Winfrey’s Mother Vernita Lee Passes Away at 83

Media maven Oprah Winfrey’s mother Vernita Lee has passed away. The longtime housekeeper died in her home in Wisconsin on Thursday, November 22. She was 83.

While Oprah made no official statement about her mother’s passing, the family did confirm her death and noted that the burial had already taken place during a private funeral. Lee is survived by Winfrey and daughter Patricia Amanda Faye Lee, who she gave up for adoption at birth. She also had two other children who passed before her – son Jeffrey Lee, who died in 1989 and daughter Patricia Lee Lloyd, who died in 2003.

On the same day that her mother passed away, Winfrey shared an Instagram video of her preparing for her Thanksgiving festivities. While the two had a bit of a rocky relationship through the years, all indications were that the two had found ways to reconcile through the years.